Excessive barking when people walk by the house

[DonnaKarman]

I'm having difficulty with my dog 4yrs. old barking excessively when people or cars go by. Her excitement goes from 0-10 in a matter of seconds, as soon as she sees someone.  If I attempt to correct the behavior by saying NO and move her back; because of her excitement her reaction is somewhat aggressive growling or snapping. I contribute that reaction to her extreme excitement. She will also run from window to window as people walk by when I try to intervene. I have tried reinforcing her at times when she looks out the windows without barking but that has not worked. This behavior also carries on when people come to the door. Help!

[Adrienne]

Hi Donna, 

When dogs are in such an aroused state, it's important to avoid touching them as they may instinctively bite. Even saying "no" can put them on the defense if they have come to associate the word "no' with us pushing them. It can also be perceived as an aversive/threatening behavior from our side and dogs may react negatively. I would therefore advise to use the upmost caution. 

Since this is a new dog who is 4 years old and we likely don't know her past history, most likely this is a behavior that she has rehearsed for most of her life and it has become very ingrained. It could be no human every attempted to interrupt the behavior.  In such cases, more than stopping the behavior, it may work better persuading her to engage in a more reinforcing behavior, but this will take a systematic, gradual approach. 

You may find the 'look at that" exercise helpful, although for your specific case, it may be best skipping the leash at least for now until she seems calmer. I would suggest using super high value treats and starting the exercise with very mild triggers along with the help of a professional for in-person guidance. Since her reaction is so intense, it may therefore be important taking a very gradual approach using desensitization. 

Desensitization involves exposing a dog systematically (using baby steps) to its triggers. Here is a read on desensitization: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

In order to work well, in a good desensitization program the dog needs to be kept as much as possible under threshold. Your dog is way over threshold right now. Here is read on threshold levels:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

Below is the "Look at That' exercise: you will have to first work on getting a very strong response to your smacking sound initially in the absence of triggers, then work with very mild triggers, if possible at a distance from windows at first (maybe erect a baby gate?). However, once again, since you describe some rather aggressive behaviors (growling or snapping) I would highly advise working along with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

When you cannot work on this, your dog should be kept away from the windows to prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior. The more a dog rehearses the behavior, the more it puts roots and becomes more difficult to work on. If it is too difficult to distract the dog from windows or it leads to excessive barking, managing the situation may work best. Some dog owners black access to the windows or invest in some window film that visually blocks their dogs from seeing all these exciting outdoor stimuli

Here is a read for dogs reactive towards door knocks and doorbells. After desensitizing to the sound of doorbells or knocks, we can turn these sounds as a cue that tells the dog to go to his mat. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/doorbells-knocks-on-doors/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

And here is a behavior modification protocol for visitors coming through a door, although it is more directed towards reactivity towards guests more than excitement, it is possible for excess excitement risking into turning into reactivity:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

Again, since there are aggression components, safety is top priority-see disclaimer. 

I hope this helps. 

Best,

Adrienne

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog has shown/shows any potential aggressive behaviors please consult with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. Highly aroused states can easily spill into aggression.